Around the world
Explore good news from North, Central and South America: people helping others, scientific progress and environmental action, with local context.
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Scientists have identified a small wild cat from Bolivia's cloud forest as a new species, Leopardus tilcayo. It is the first new living cat species formally named and described in more than a century. The same study, published in Current Biology, found that tiger cats are five genetically distinct species.
Indigenous students at Brandon University in Manitoba can now study Indigenous languages without paying tuition. The university's Board of Governors approved the fee waiver unanimously in January 2026. It launched this fall, and the first students are taking part.
On 12 October 2026, brothers Maddox and Grant Larger, aged 15 and 14, pulled a grandmother and two young children from a retention pond in Carmel, Indiana. Neither the grandmother nor the 4-year-old could swim. Carmel public safety teams said the brothers' quick actions saved the life of the 2-year-old.
On 17 September 2026, the US Food and Drug Administration approved Fayuvi, the first treatment for children with Sanfilippo syndrome type A (MPS IIIA). Until now, care was limited to managing symptoms. The one-time gene therapy helps the body make an enzyme the disease leaves missing.
Zion Jerge rescued a father and his adult son from a Foster City swimming pool and performed CPR on the unconscious son; both survived. Cal Poly Maritime Academy reported the rescue, and KTVU later interviewed the senior cadet.
The FDA cleared Wandercraft’s Eve exoskeleton for personal indoor use by eligible adults with spinal cord injuries. MassDevice reported a planned 17 September 2026 US launch and a three-site clinical programme on safety and everyday tasks.
Molly Selin, 27, met 81-year-old Maria on a New York subway in May 2026 and promised to help her fulfil her dream of visiting her native Puerto Rico. Selin's TikTok post about the meeting drew more than 3 million views. Delta and Hilton offered flights and a place to stay for a trip planned for July.
Tri Delta sorority reached a new $25 million fundraising milestone for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital on June 16, 2026, bringing its total support since 1999 to $185 million. BioSpace reported the announcement at a Memphis event attended by 400 members from more than 130 chapters across the US and Canada.
The Government of Canada is investing $21.6 million in the first phase of Manitoba's first integrated renewable energy microgrid, serving Sayisi Dene First Nation in Tadoule Lake, a community of around 360 people more than 600 miles north of Winnipeg with no year-round road access. The bifacial solar and battery-storage system is expected to cut emissions by about 500 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year once commissioned in fall 2026.
Harris County, Texas is using a $2 million federal grant to build a smart flood warning system that places sensors on flood-prone roads ahead of the 2026 hurricane season. Click2Houston reported the sensors will trigger automatic warning signs, flood gates, and digital alerts when water reaches dangerous levels.
Toronto nonprofit LEAF launched the Low-Canopy Neighbourhood Greening Initiative in 2026, offering free tree planting on private property in neighbourhoods below the city's 28.4% average tree canopy cover. A related Black Environmental Initiative project will plant 300 trees and shrubs engaging Black and equity-denied youth in the same low-canopy areas.
Mobi by Rogers, Vancouver's public bike share system, has logged more than 1.1 million e-bike trips since launching e-bikes in 2022 — nearly double the rides taken on classic bikes over the same period. The City of Vancouver reported that 95% of riders with disabilities choose e-bikes over classic bikes, and the fleet now covers 260 stations, including 36 dedicated e-bike charging stations.
North Vancouver School District's Instrument Collection provides quality musical instruments to students at a subsidised cost, and students who pay the 2026-27 user fee can now keep their instrument over the summer rather than returning it. The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra's School of Music also runs subsidised early-years and youth programmes across the region.
A study published in JAMA found that increased use of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is associated with an 11% drop in youth suicide deaths, STAT News reported on April 22, 2026. National call, text, and chat volume to 988 rose 87% between its 2022 launch and September 2025, while answer rates climbed from 70% to 89%.
The federal government invested $249,600 through the Natural Infrastructure Fund in ecological restoration at Moodyville Park in North Vancouver, with the City of North Vancouver contributing a further $63,000. The project removes invasive plant species and plants approximately 10,000 native shrubs and nearly 1,300 trees to restore habitat for migratory birds, native bats, and pollinators.
Canada's National Advisory Committee on Immunization issued updated guidance on April 10, 2026 recommending nirsevimab, a monoclonal antibody, for infants at high risk of severe RSV disease, explicitly including infants in First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities. Infants in remote northern communities face a very high risk of hospitalization for RSV, according to the guidance.
The Immigrant Welcome Center in Indianapolis launched a free six-week citizenship preparation course running April 15 to May 20, 2026. Mirror Indy reported the course covers the US citizenship exam and interview process, connecting lawful permanent residents with volunteer attorneys and instructors.
Daily Bread Food Bank now distributes more than 35 million pounds of food a year from its Etobicoke hub across a network of 214 programs, as food bank visits across Toronto reached a record 4.1 million in the past year, CBC News reported. The food bank has already logged more than 920,000 visits since the start of 2026, ahead of last year's pace.
Coverage spans North, Central and South America. The location on each article identifies the community or country where the reported change happened.